Moulinette Soeurs and I are not getting along at the moment. While this brand used to be one of my favorites lately it’s been nothing but disappointment after disappointment. It’s almost like the line swapped patterns with Maeve — it used to be that Maeve dresses never fit over my hips and I cursed the small cut of the busts. Now Moulinette Soeurs’s dresses are cut so narrow through the hips that if you have any approximation of curves you’re doomed to size up and when you do the bust is ludicrously big. I’m sure there are customers out there cheering this change; finally an Anthro brand cut for column figures! But for me it’s a letdown nearly every time. One of the reasons I fell in love with Anthro was because it was never a question whether their items would fit me or not. Now it’s kind of a crapshoot.
And so when I saw the Pittore Dress ($168) it was love from afar followed by the letdown of seeing the brand. I mustered the tenacity to grab both an 8 and a 10 anyway (1 and 2 sizes up from normal) to see if this dress somehow fit.
Let’s start with the good things about this silk frock. I love the print. It has an impressionist quality to it and on the dress I grabbed the pattern had little dots of what seemed like blurry lights on them. Very romantic. The randomness of the print also hid the mismatched seams well. The puffed cap sleeves are a beautiful detail that were flattering without looking the power 80s shoulderpad redux trend that needs to die. The waistband didn’t quite land at my natural waist but it was close enough to show off my shape nicely.
But to experience any of these fine qualities I had to size up to the 10, and when I did the bust was so ridiculously big that it was comical. With a 34D bust you don’t often run across a top too big but that was exactly what happened here. The 8 slid on but was so tight around my hips and bottom that it may as well have been bad spandex. The funny thing is when I look at the model shot at the top of this post she seems to be having some fit issues too. Argh.
I’m someone who advocates tailoring when an item doesn’t fit. But to get this dress right I’d be looking at $75 easily. So that’s already nearly $250 on this dress. Not happening. It’s so frustrating and I’m highly annoyed. Back to the rack.
The highly popular Reed Shirtdress from last year has made its way back into stores for Fall 2010. This time around it’s done up in corduroy and called the Refined Cord Shirtdress ($128). I loved the dress last year but never bought it in part because the voile material didn’t quite do it for me. The corduroy though is love! These pics are a bit dark because I got stuck in Soho’s cave fitting room once again. I have a brighter shot below I didn’t see any other colorways in-store but I would not be surprised to see an orange-rust version as well.
I tried on my usual size 6 in Fei which fit perfectly. The buttons are slightly tarnished brass which works well with the fabric. It has the same flowy skirt as last year while adding two new pockets over the bust. The rolled sleeves are held up by a button tab. I’m in love! This dress is wishlisted! This new version is $128, making it $10 more than last year’s version.
Update 9/4: Above is an additional shot of the new corduroy Reed Dress.
This pretty Maeve dress isn’t online yet…as many in the community have noted Anthro seems to be waiting longer and longer between store release and online release (and vice versa). My guess is it’s a marketing tactic. I’m not pleased. Hopefully this cute dress makes it online soon. So for now it’s the Bird & Deer Dress to me ($128, SKU #18823815). The dress in a thin wale in light taupe with a darker brown print. It has three pleats on each shoulder for visual interest and chevron pleats down the bodice portion.
My usual size 6 in Maeve was actually a little big, especially around the hips and mid-section. But the top portion fit well so I wouldn’t size down. A belt would help. Your opinion of this dress will really come down to whether you like the print or not. It reads as very country home to me. I like it. I wish the sleeves were just a bit bigger and longer, as the tiny cap felt a little underdone to me. But otherwise this dress is easy and comfortable. Will be wishlisted for sale time once it’s online. Update 8/25: It’s now online and is called the Southward Stop Shirtdress.
Floreat’s Sprightly Steps Dress ($228) features a thin-pleated organza skirt erupting from a delicate lace empire top with a defining waistband between. I thought this dress looked gorgeous on the rack and had a beautiful vintage look to it.
I grabbed an 8, my usual size in Floreat tops. It was loose. I could have gone with my usual 6. I was expecting perfection but found something less when I put it on. The bottom was poufing out from the waistband in a way that wasn’t very flattering. But I was willing to look past that. My real issues lied with the top. It made me look like I was all bust. I asked for a 6 and the result was the same. Honestly I felt like I was wearing a big, ugly minimizing bra on top with a very high-waisted skirt. Which is too bad because that’s not reflective of the dress at all. It’s beautiful but it didn’t work on me. Pass.
